CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
I never celebrated gay pride in Salt Lake City, the place where I spent most of my formative years, the city where I came out at age 22. I'm sorry for that fact for two reasons. First, because in a conservative state like Utah, every little bit of visibility helps in the fight for equality; I wish I had been counted in a place where it really matters.
The second reason is that it would have been good for me. I knew no gays when I was growing up -- apart from one or two people in high school and a few at my university, people whom I avoided out of what I now understand was fear of myself. A younger me, struggling to see myself reflected in the world, would have benefited from seeing even a small slice of the various ways we live our lives and exhibit our passions. From the Dykes on Bikes to the drag queens to the parents with kids in strollers to gay seniors, they would have helped me realize much earlier that there's no one right way to be gay.
Now I never pass up the chance to celebrate gay pride, and I've done so in a number of cities and towns, large and small. There's a fair argument against celebrating the fact of our sexual orientation -- it's a characteristic we had nothing to do with determining.
But what is now incontrovertibly clear to me is that we must be proud of the people who have come before us, of those who have fought, rallied, litigated, shouted from the rooftops, and endured terrible hardships so that we may express ourselves like no generation has before us. Cheers to them!
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Pennsylvania Drag Queen Story Hour canceled amid bomb concerns
March 26 2024 9:50 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
White House calls Republican spending bill’s ban on the Pride flag ‘inappropriate’
March 25 2024 8:17 PM
Plus
Yahoo FeedSexual Assault Survivor Stephen Hart Uses Theater to Heal
March 25 2024 5:55 PM
Neo-Nazis suspected of killing 72-year-old gay man after escaping from prison
March 25 2024 3:58 PM